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Those without a lot of wealth or a lot of power are getting absolutely killed in America today. The big corporations, the major financial institutions, the ultra-wealthy and those connected to the top levels of government are absolutely thriving even though the economy overall is in shambles. Meanwhile, “the little guy” is being abused, harassed, regulated, taxed and mistreated like never before. In general, the big corporations and the government don’t spend a lot of time tangling with each other. Instead, mostly they seem content with attacking the weak members of the herd (the rest of us). In the United States today, wealth and power have become more concentrated than ever, and the big corporations and the government have figured out thousands of different ways to drain even more wealth and power away from the rest of us. Most of the time, “the little guy” is not even able to fight back. Most Americans have very limited resources and a very limited knowledge of the law. Meanwhile, the “big guys” have almost unlimited resources and can hire huge numbers of lawyers. So what does that mean for the rest of us? Well, it means that until society becomes a lot more just, you better do your best to keep from becoming a target of the “big guys”.

The following are 15 examples of how “the little guy” is getting absolutely killed in America today….

#1 The “Little Guy” Is Finding It Increasingly Difficult To Run A Small Business

The number of “self-employed” Americans continues to rapidly shrink. According the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 16.6 million Americans were self-employed back in December 2006. Today, that number has shrunk to 14.5 million. Even though we have 14 million unemployed people in this country and jobs are incredibly difficult to come by, the number of people trying to work for themselves continues to decrease because the environment for small businesses in this country has become so incredibly toxic.

#2 The “Little Guy” Is Being Hounded By Federal Bureaucrats

Did you know that hay is now considered a “pollutant” by the federal government? Kansas cattle feeder Mike Callicrate recently told an audience that the EPA is now cracking down on his feedlot….

“Has the Environmental Protection Agency declared hay a pollutant?” an audience member asked. Callicrate responded affirmatively and explained that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently initiated a formal enforcement action against his Kansas feedlot for, among other things, failure to store his hay in a pollution containment zone. “Now that EPA has declared hay a pollutant, every farmer and rancher that stores hay, or that leaves a broken hay bale in the field is potentially violating EPA rules and subject to an EPA enforcement action,” Callicrate said. “How far are we going to let this agency go before we stand up and do something about it?”

#3 The “Little Guy” Is Losing Health Coverage Because Of Obamacare

According to a recent report from the National Federation of Independent Business, one out of every eight small businesses in the United States have either already had or expect to have the health insurance plans for their employees terminated by the health insurance companies because of Obamacare. Another recent survey of mid-size and large businesses found that nearly ten percent of them plan to stop offering health insurance coverage to workers once Obamacare insurance exchanges begin in 2014, and another 20 percent are not sure if they will continue to offer coverage or not. Our health care system is deeply broken and the ones that keep getting the short end of the stick are average Americans.

#4 The “Little Guy” Is Being Forced Into Desperate Living Conditions By This Economy

As I wrote about recently, millions of Americans are now living out of “budget motels” because that is the only option they have left. Large numbers of Americans that have lost their jobs or their homes are now living in decaying hotel rooms because at least it beats living on the street. One of my readers named JD recently left a comment describing his own experience with living in these “budget motels”….

As for living in budget hotels I know firsthand of this. I spent last fall in several of them in my old town. They are shoddy, sometimes you have to share bathrooms with several other people, they are infested with bedbugs and despair clings to the very air itself. Its funny, In Helena MT they have the budget hotel in the general area of the homeless shelter. I call the Budget Inn Hotel Gods Love part 2. Gods Love is the name of the shelter. People go from the hotel to the soupline across the street. Its stunning the people you see in the shoddy hotels and souplines. I saw beautiful women staying in those places. I wondered what happened to them to have to stoop to that level of poverty. I eventually ran out of money so I stayed in my car instead of staying in that terrible shelter. The people are always sick and I was afraid of catching TB or staph infection. Im not better than those people so I hope I dont sound snobby. Im so grateful to God for giving me a second chance to salvage my life. I truly feel like a modern day Cinderella Man.

#5 The “Little Guy” Is Getting Taxed Into Oblivion While The “Big Guy” Has It Relatively Easy

Today, the wealthiest 400 Americans pay approximately 18% of their income in taxes. Many middle class Americans find themselves paying a much, much higher percentage of their incomes to the government than many of the wealthiest Americans do. Our income tax system is fundamentally unjust and needs to be completely discarded.

#6 The “Little Guy” Is Being Abused By Local Government

Local governments in the United States love to sink their teeth into small businesses. Since they don’t have the same flexibility to just pick up and move like large corporations do, local governments often see small businesses as “captive” sources of income. In a recent article, Charles Hugh Smith commented on this phenomenon….

Local government sees small business as one thing and one thing only: a captive source of extra revenue via higher licensing fees, junk fees, permits, surcharges, etc. Local government thinks small business is captive, but the local politicos and fiefdoms are forgetting every small business owner has an option: it’s called closing down, and opting out of the rat-race of higher taxes and costs.

#7 The “Little Guy” Is Being Absolutely Hammered With Ridiculous Regulations

The number of nightmarish regulations that “the little guy” has to deal with today just continues to increase. For example, a reader named Mark recently left the following comment on one of my recent articles….

Many of the rules created and enforced by the government are over the top. For example: as a farmer (farming my own land) the government wants to require me to have a CDL to operate my own tractor. This is not needed. These type of regulations just bring more money to the government and then we get more bureaucrats. The family farms will go away and you end up with big corporate farms in their place that can afford to pay the fees. In my state the government claims ownership of all the underground water. They do not think it is fair that we in the country do not pay for the use of it. The folks in the city pay for water, so we should too. When the people in the city pay their bill it covers the water, treatment costs, installation of pipes, power costs,etc. They fail to consider that we pay for our own costs such as drilling the well, buying and installing the pump, the pressure tanks, the piping, no water treatment, the cost of power to run the pump, the cost to repair the system, etc. This is just another way for government too take more money without providing a service. Let’s see, under the new food safty regulations, the government will have the power to come and inspect my garden. What comes next? Will I need to buy a permit to have my garden in order to cover the cost of the government inspector? Another one is the government wants to erect a fence 60 feet from the center of each side our creek. These would be for wildlife corridors to bring on more of UN agenda 21.

#8 The “Little Guy” Has To Pay The Bill For The Mistakes Of The “Big Guy”

During the financial crisis, the big banks got hundreds of billions in bailouts and trillions in secret loans from the Federal Reserve. Most average Americans that found themselves deeply suffering got next to no help from the federal government. Instead, all we got was a big debt bill that our descendants are going to be expected to pay off for generations to come.

#9 The “Big Guy” Will Mercilessly Come After The “Little Guy” If Payments Are Missed

Because they don’t think that you have any power, the big financial institutions will treat you like garbage if you don’t pay them on time. For example, Bank of America recently called one grieving widow up to 48 times a day to remind her that her husband’s debts needed to be paid. The following is an excerpt from a recent article in the Daily Mail….

The bank told the widow that it was unable to stop the calls until the debt was paid as they were computer generated.

Mrs Crabtree claimed that the calls began the day after her husband died of cancer.

She told the bank that she only had $5,000 cash to hand, which was needed for food and to bury her husband, but debt collectors told her that she must use it to pay them.

Mrs Crabtree said she and her family spent her husband’s wake repeatedly hanging up the phone on calls from the bank.

#10 The “Little Guy” Is Struggling To Stay Out Of Poverty

The middle class in America continues to rapidly shrink. According to a new report produced by Pew Charitable Trusts, approximately one out of every three Americans that grew up in a middle class household has slipped down the income ladder.

#11 The “Little Guy” Has A Smaller Share Of The Pie Than Ever

If the United States is still “the land of opportunity”, a whole lot of people are being left out. At this point, the poorest 50% of all Americans now control just 2.5% of all of the wealth in this country.

#12 The “Little Guy” Is Watching The Federal Government Destroy Our Jobs

We are experiencing the worst stretch of unemployment since the Great Depression and yet Barack Obama keeps pushing for more “free trade” agreements which will allow even more of our jobs to be shipped overseas and he keeps making it easier for illegal immigrants to come in to the U.S. and steal our jobs.

#13 The “Little Guy” Is Expected To Pay Through The Nose For Education That Has Little Value

They keep telling us that we need “an education” if we are to better ourselves. Well, the cost of college tuition in the United States has gone up by over 900 percent since 1978, and most college graduates are not able to find decent jobs in this economy. So we are all expected to go into debt for the next 30 years to pay for college, but then the system fails us by not providing nearly enough good jobs. Is there any wonder why more people than ever are asking if college is really worth it? In the United States today, there are more than 100,000 janitors and more than 317,000 waiters and waitresses that have college degrees.

#14 The “Little Guy” Is Now Treated Like “Human Cattle” In The Name Of “National Security”

It just isn’t just at airports where Americans are being searched like prisoners and treated like dehumanized cattle. Now, TSA “VIPR teams” are conducting about 8000 “unannounced security screenings” a year at subway stations, bus terminals, seaports and highway rest stops.

#15 The “Little Guy” Is Seen As A Major Threat While The “Big Guy” Seems To Get A Free Pass Almost Every Single Time

The federal government has no problem with brutally going after the little guy, but extends every courtesy to the big banks and to the big corporations. For example, the FDA conducted an armed raid on an Amish farm that was selling raw milk at 5 AM in the morning, but not a single Wall Street executive has gone to jail for the mass financial fraud that helped precipitate the horrific financial crisis of 2008.

What in the world has happened to this country?

Please say a prayer for America – we definitely need it.

Do you have a story about how the “little guy” in America is getting absolutely killed?

You did not mention INFLATION. Inflation is eating alive those who are conservative and savers. Assuming 1% on an insured 1 yr CD, the current true inflation rate of about 11% means that the purchasing power of the money in that 1 yr CD declines by 10% A YEAR!! Only those with significant wealth, including a lot of liquid net worth, can stand that year after year. Once upon a time in America, fixed income yielded about 3-4% OVER the inflation rate, before taxes. Today, older people who can not stand the risk of the stock market and who, in former days, could depend on interest income, have been destroyed.

Michael

Good point

Michael

Kevin

Actually it’s worse then that. Uncle Sam taxes you on the “gain”. Your 1% becomes .75%. That is $75 on a $1000!

JasonD

Actually that’s $7.50/$1000 ROI!

Guido

Yes, for 30-40 years inflation has outpaced wage increases and the fedgov has been happy to load the calculations to insure there were no commensurate increases in social security.

Salub

one of the problems is the illusion that YOU can make it – so you keep trying, you keep paying, you keep making excuses for your abuse. another problem is this – you make the metaphorical transition to the outside of the pot because you can feel the heat being turned up but unless you have the kind of resources available to you that would have stopped you getting in the pot in the first place, what do you do?

JD

Michael, Im so glad I have a forum to share my experiences. Thank you again for featuring me in another one of your articles. I read alot of the comments and my conculsion is that a lot of people havent yet experienced the desperate poverty that is ailing this nation. I left the family ranch in ’09 because I guess i didnt suffer enough. I have experienced the worst that this world could throw at me during these truly desperate times. I dont take a single thing for granted anymore. These new government regulations on farming and ranching concern me greatly. Hay is now toxic? Maybe if you are an allegry sufferer. I have family and friends that are going through hell right now. A woman who is like a sister to me is not feeding her kids cause she spends her food stamps on drugs so her kids eat at my mother’s house all the time. The kids is what hurts me the most. They are made to suffer because of their parents. The police in HELLena are rousting out the homeless tent city in the woods. They are also killing people. The police tazed a man to death a few weeks ago. He was a somebody too. I hope his family sues those bastards. Its getting scary in the small towns too. My mind is kinda blank right now for more stories from my experiences but Michael you are my muse. You somehow find the right articles and it just pops right out of me.

Michael

I am just glad that we can tell some of the stories that nobody else is telling.

Michael

Guido

That’s awful. It’s the Hoovervilles all over again.
I preserve Eastern Europe as an escape option with my wife. While I don’t want to go, her folks have land and food. I know a lot of old vets are retiring to the Philippines and Thailand to live like royalty on their pensions.

Sam

JD,

My heart goes out to you.

I wish there was more I could do for you, besides offer words.

A Dodgy Bloke

Number seven really is an important one I hits on two things that will affect most people in the future Water and Food. In the Southwest water is becoming increasing issue. The aquifer that supplies the water for this part of the country is being drained quicker then it’s being replenished. Fat cats are coming in snatching up water rights screwing small towns and farmers.
Dimity Orlov speech at Eco Fest 2011 told a story about being taken to Dinner by some “Investors.” They wanted to know when the collapse was going to come. He said it reminded him of winning at a casino you have this bag of chip only to have the casino burned down. Most of this is greed, greed to snuff out small business, snuff out any trace of self-reliance. Make everybody possible dependent on large corporations and big government the problem is some day the casino is going to burn down.

Guido

Yeah, you can crush the hell out of people with nitnoid regulations.
It was a major complaint of the Founding Fathers.

JD

Mark,

Where do you live brother? I would like to know if those are state or federal requirements for the CDL for the tractor. That is an outrage. Oh, and we make our own hay sometimes we have to buy it, but we are looking at a place with more acreage.

mark

JD, the federal government is talking about this requirement. This will stop kids under 18 from cleaning up manure on a dairy. I heard that is can cost a lot in washington state to get a CDL. Just think if you have to keep the log books that the truckers do. I also understand that part of the proposed regulations would include getting DOT numbers on equipment. How about the regulations the feds want to register all livestock because of mad cow problems. Small farms would have to pay for each animal, but factory farms could pay for one big permit. This is so that they can track a sick animal. Little guys would go out of business. A lot of this info can be found in the Capital Press in past issues. Here is a situation that a friend is going through. He is older, almost eighty. He has been a locksmith forever and has a small shop. He also has very poor eyesight, almost blind. He likes to work at his profession. He mostly cuts keys, repairs locks and can open locks when folks are locked out. I guess last year the state passed a law that he would need to have a contractors license. They say that he might drill a door and install a deadbolt. He told them that he could not do that because he is blind. The state will not bend and wants to fine him for the past years work. This business is too small to cover the costs and fees from the state. He will try to sell the business and our small town will not have his services in the future. This is what you get with progresives running anything. I guess they have to take care of us little people, you know mother knows best.

Guido

It’s the Feds trying to push this stuff.

turbomr2

Wow, talking about people staying at the low rent budget motel. Those people should be grateful they can afford that place. There are many people who can’t afford even the low rent budget motel and end up staying in their car or down at the shelter.

But what really makes me sick is our local shelter will only let people stay for 90 days, after that they are out on the street. Isn’t that sick? there are no jobs to be had, yet the local city sponsored shelter will kick people out into the cold of winter after 90 days stay.

http://www.povertylinejournal.blogspot.com/ the optimist

I have exactly 11 days until my farm is foreclosed on, sold at auction. I am only six months behind on my mortgage. I will be homeless, in a rural area, that has no shelters, with the winter coming on.

My farm is easy and lucrative pickings for Bank of America, because they will make money on my foreclosure — I put 100k down when I bought it. The mortgage balance is less than that. Legal aid says there is nothing that they can do.

Tell me what positive end this serves.

Michael

Optimist:

Wow I am so sorry. Sometimes I am absolutely stunned by what the readers of this site are going through.

Hopefully you have some family or friends in the area that can help you out. It is absolutely shocking how cold Bank of America can be.

Michael

Sam

BoA is on the ropes as well, so what goes around, comes around.

As one who was forced to become a BoA “customer,” I am eagerly awaiting their death.

Highspeedloafer

Wow, so sad for the Optimist. You would be better off if the place burned to the ground huh? At least you’d get part of your investment back,though I am not advocating that.

But it is happening all the time. I suppose that is one way of fighting back against the big banks, insurance companies and so on.

I am praying for a way out for you. Maybe a neighbor or relative could buy your remaining debt, you could strike a deal and he could literally move in if he had to. But no way would I give up without trying something.

http://www.povertylinejournal.blogspot.com/ the optimist

I got a last minute bailout!!! – some GOOD friends are going to do just that, help me out with the arrears, so I can put it on the market and try to sell it. It is a risk for them, and they are still willing.

I’m in a rural Appalachian state, have only been here 8 years. I have what is called a micro-farm, and I’ve done a little of everything on it to make a living. It’s not the giant stretches of monocrops that people think about when they think “farm”.

There is no local economy left, few jobs. The retired folks who have paid off their houses will be okay, but anyone who has to make a living is screwed. Or has left already.

…and don’t think I haven’t thought about “unfortunate accidents” :) but arson investigations are pretty sophisticated these days…ah, I wouldn’t do it anyway. Honestly, what I have considered, as a sort of political “last act” is cutting my wrists open and soaking my blood in every room before passing out, so at least they’d get stuck with a big clean up and the house would be harder to sell. Yes, I have seriously thought of doing this.

Yesterday, I helped a family in an identical situation move out of their home, which is going to auction this week. Heartbreaking. They actually qualified for a modification, but the bank is still foreclosing. Fortunately, they found a small apartment to move to, and it looks pretty nice.

Yes, I hope BofA goes under, and I hope Brian Moynihan and all his VPs end up in jail.

Michael

Optimist:

That is good news! Perhaps the prayers said by readers of this site helped out a little. :)

Also, I want to urge you to never, ever, ever give up. Cutting your wrists may seem like a viable option when you are at the end of your rope, but there is always a way that things can turn around.

The banks take out mortgage insurance to insulate themselves against default, so they don’t lose anything when you don’t pay.

http://www.povertylinejournal.blogspot.com/ the optimist

Amazing, isn’t it? I NEVER will be in “the money/debt system” ever again. It’s all about making profits for them by being debt slaves. I hope I can impress this on my semi-grown child.

Yes, Michael that’s true. If nothing else, I am obviously very wealthy in social capital (friends). But when you’re in a situation like this, it’s not hard to think the unthinkable. NOTHING I was taught about “the American Dream” has turned out to be true. If I had known what I was getting into, what a rabidly vicious world the lenders inhabit, it would be easier to accept. I admit I am naive, and was raised to think that people and institutions are good. SOME people are good. MOST institutions are out for the money.

It’s put me into an off-balance state where it’s just hard to keep going on a daily basis, let alone fight back.

I’m really angry that our kids aren’t being taught about how things REALLY work with money.

On the plus side, it’s good to know all this finally. It’s definitely a growth experience. :)

http://economiccollapseblog leonard

I guess social Darwinism is destroying our country.

http://economiccollapseblog leonard

Politicos and fiefdoms? It sounds like 21st century feudalism is around the corner!

http://www.povertylinejournal.blogspot.com/ the optimist

…and here’s the question: was this the plan? Because it DOES benefit those in power, so you do have to wonder.

“there’s some lovely muck over here” (M. Python)

dorothy mannino

The Dodd/Frank Bill does not one thing for the little guy,yet they tell you it has everything to do with protecting them,Yet it allows for the to BIG TO FAIL to continue to fail as the little guy pays!

http://TulsaChange.com Tulsa Liberty

This is quite an eyeopening list here, and as the previous comment shows it is only the tip of the iceberg.
thanks for the great info your site provides

moe

until the talking stops nothing will happen americans have no fight left in them they will be led to the slaughter

http://www.hotbedinfo.com Kyle

We’ve all allowed this to happen through apathy.

We deserve this bondage if we continue to sit on our behinds and continue to waste our extra time on mindless sports and tv shows instead of getting involved in our local communities to fight this.

This is the best web site on the web! It exposes the real truth. Everyone needs to read these articles. The bankers/government does not want you to be aware of these things. Keep it coming Mike.

Michael

Thank you Dave!

Hopefully more people will be able to see these articles. When people share them on Facebook, Twitter or by email that helps out a lot. All of you have contact with people that I would have no way of reaching on my own. So I am always so thankful when people help spread the word by sharing these articles by social media or by email.

Michael

Highspeedloafer

Hey everone, don’t forget +1 if you enjoyed the article.

Michael

Yes, that is actually a huge help.

Also, if you enjoy the articles please share them with others over Facebook, Twitter and email. :)

Michael

Sam

#6 is a bit questionable.

Yes, if you’re a “brick & mortar,” you’ll get hammered, and HOW (can you say “Gibson Guitar?”).

HOWEVER, if you conduct trade over the Internet, that’s something else again.

When you’re on the Internet, you’re really small. Should government become so oppressive, you simply pack up plant and equipment, along with inventory into the back of your pickup, and head for sunnier climes. Local governments lose all that tax money.

But then, government never gets it, does it?

Piglet

“So we are all expected to go into debt for the next 30 years to pay for college…” Most of us look at this from the side of the borrower. If you’re the lender, this is wonderful. These are money streams that will last for decades. Whether or not people actually graduate or get good jobs is irrelevant. They will be on the hook to pay, pay, pay. Of course, this state of affairs did not come about by accident or chance. This is by design, and since there’s so much money involved, you can be sure it’s not going to be allowed to change.

Strik9

Micheal,
Fist let me say that i really enjoy your site and your articles. Came across your site by fluke one day and have made a point to be back daily since. This is the first time i’ve commented on anything though. As a canadian reading of what is happening in America. Its shocking that such a great and powerful nation has taken such a turn for the worse. I think most of this started almost 10 years ago when the 9/11 tragedy that allowed people to be controlled by their government in exchange for so called freedom. Its a sad state when our gov’t no longer represents the interests of the general public but more of the huge corperations and their own greed. I just hope all of us are able to stop things and stand up for our rights as human beings to be able to support ourselves without the fear they will take away our basic rights to grow food to eat, to provide shelter for our families. Its dark times i see in our countries futures with the monetary system we live in today. Build things as cheap as possible that way they can sell you more cheap stuff later. I recall a time when we built things to last a life time, and now the vast majority of us are just consumers with no regards for what we are throwing away. It’s time for us as a people to make changes to the way we live and what is really important in life. The things you own usually end up being the things that own you in the end. Anyways thanks for giving us all a place to get together and share our ideas and talk about the growing number of problems are world faced these days. Look forward to reading many more of your articles.

Michael

Strik9:

It is great to hear from you. It sounds like you would have a lot to add to our conversations, so I hope that you will feel free to leave comments more often.

I totally agree with you – we all need to make changes and start focusing on what is really important in life. I know that I have a lot of changes that I still need to make.

Michael

REED RICHARDS

It’s GAME ON!!

The “little guy” getting shafted? What else is new! The globalists are putting their plans into hyperdrive. The consolidation of wealth, putting the police state grid in place, and causing total economic meltdown are the key ingredients toward a Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome society. There is no stopping it! The only sane, logical course of action is to pack all one can carry and depart the Asylum States of Amerika!

Onc’ Scrooge

By preferred blog in Germany published this article with the headline:
People’s revolution needed!

DB200

#1 The “Little Guy” Is Finding It Increasingly Difficult To Run A Small Business

Example from Europe.

1. There was a small shop, in a warehouse, that sold LEGO at fair prices and provided good advice. The owner was a LEGO enthusiast. So were the children (and parents) that frequented his shop.

2. He moved then to the shopping centre and rented a small shop (approx. 10 x 50 sq. feet). That was early 2007. Business was good, his turnover increased

3. Enter the big toy shops. Discounts on certain toys of over 20 – 25%, because consumer spending was going down after 2009. Every week new actions, also on certain LEGO items.

4. Additionally, the requirement of LEGO that every re-seller had to have a certain amount of stock, in the tens of thousands of dollars. Do you know how much interest that is on a yearly basis, and where do you leave a stock of say U$ 30.000 of LEGO items?

5. The guy closed his shop last month. He now sells through the internet.

The thing is, we really live in the Roman Empire. We no longer have common law to keep us safe. We in America, only have political law, which is whatever the government says it is. No one is taught common law in school and in fact, public school doesn’t teach anything about law or economics at all. How can any one who doesn’t take the time to educate themselves come close to understanding what is happening to them? It seems that it’s a race between no chance and a slim chance but slim has left town.

My 5 cents worth.

Founder

math guy

“Actually it’s worse then that. Uncle Sam taxes you on the “gain”. Your 1% becomes .75%. That is $75 on a $1000!”

Actually its worse than that. 1% of $1000 is $10, so after tax you have $7.50.

Zellie

The Little guy has to compete with illegal aliens for work and other immigrants brought here on H1B & J- Visas, etc.

The Little Guy has to compete with Front Shops who get hired to fill jobs with illegals as they lay off American citizens, this has happened in office cleaning, hotel cleaning, restaurant and fast food jobs, ALL construction trades from roofing, working in/on streets, electricians, plumbers, brick layers, painters, landscapers, sheet rockers, auto mechanics, truck drivers, you name it, IF an illegal can be hired cheaper, there is a plan in America to remove you from your job. They are even starting to lay off teachers and bring in foreign teachers cheaper…They have already stocked the nursing homes with illegals/immigrants paid to take classes and paid to come here from many nations to take your jobs. Now they are removing the cooks from the elementary, middle and high-schools and the front shops are bringing in cheaper labor to save the school districts money, they are basically outsourcing all labor to the front shops and putting American citizens out of work.

The Little guy because he has a Social Security Number is tracked from cradle to grave…his bank account transactions, his credit card transactions, his purchases at car dealerships, his entry/exit into the country, his income, filing taxes, you name it…but the illegal he isn’t tracked at all…he can enter/exit, work under the table, not pay taxes, and not be penalized for not having a Social Security Number…BOA & Wells Fargo will gladly open an account for him without any American citizenship documents.

The Little guy will be asked for his Drivers License if he is in an accident, and if he has been drinking there is a good chance he will get arrested. The illegal can drive without a drivers license, without insurance AND be drinking and depending on what city and state he is stopped in or caught in, will be let go with a ticket. Also a tow truck will be called to haul him, his illegal woman and children and wrecked car away and he’ll hitch a ride, too, into the sunset. The Little guy will not be let go because he can be identified, arrested, tracked, fined and ticketed, and his vehicle will be impounded to cause him much more money, anguish, and upset, and if he creates any problems, he’ll find more costly problems in return.

The Little Guy is not eligible for food stamps if he’s made more than a modest sum that year even if he has been laid off and is dead broke. An illegal can go to most any city in American and apply for aid, usually the woman, she will take her wedding ring off, have 1 in a stroller, 2 on either side of the stroller and 1 in her womb, and state she is single, and she will be eligible for aid because she has no social security number they can’t look up any earnings or assets in her or her husband’s name…so she gets benefits. You see them in the grocery store line, she buys the goods allowed with the card, he’s right behind her with the beer and the steaks.

You can see that the Little guy is no only under attack in America, but the American citizen is under attack in America….one day soon, the Little Guy is going to wake up….

Two great failings in America: Apathy and Despair.

The Plight of the Little Guy leads to both…

Time to reassert your God given right for liberty. Time to understand that you have the right to independence and sustainability.

Time to regain the things that you have lost.

Just found your website…first time I’ve seen in a print an attempt at listing what is going on….

We have been sold out….

People keep thinking the government is going to do something to protect the borders, enforce illegal immigration laws, bring back the jobs, stop the illegal wars, etc.

The government IS NOT going to stop anything! The government is the problem and they have methodically passed one law after another to control, corrupt, and tie up America.

I say turn off the smut and junk on tv, start educating your children to their rights as human beings on earth, and start pulling together and figuring out what you are going to do.

Start with getting your dignity and self respect back which has NOTHING to do with money AND everything to do with individual honor, self respect, character, love, kindness, goodness, values, and other fruits of the spirit.

REBUILD yourselves.

Michael

Zellie:

I am glad that you found the site! I hope that you will come back frequently and leave more interesting comments. :)

Michael

Al

They need our money and our labor like a mosquito needs our blood. Without our money and our labor the oligarchs will perish. During the so called shopping season please deprive them of these essential nourishments. Do not participate in the game in which you are always by design the loser. Do not shop at their stores. Do not provide your labor for their criminal enterprises. Fill your pantries with basic food, turn off all non essential appliances. Do not drive your cars. Do not report for work. Keep your children at home. If enough of us do these simple but profound acts of withholding at the commercially critical time of the shopping season the system will most certainly grind to a halt. We can then begin serious negotiation as they will be forced to recognize us as the public they are supposed to serve. Tolerable pain now, under your control, will prevent greater suffering imposed from without in the future. From Thanksgiving, November 24th to December 25th…Stock Up-Stay at Home!

Doug

So far I see only one responder who has it right. Elections have consequences. When Americans continue to vote themselves largesse from the public trough they eventually get what they voted for.

MountainHome

All of what you listed is correct, but I think #2 is the most deadly to all of us. Great list. Thanks!

Dave

My family started a small business during the financial crisis in a small town in the south. Even though the town has less than 30,000 people in it the local regulations necessary to be permitted to open were unbelievable. Final cost to us was more than $13,000.00 and more than $60,000.00 to the owner of the commercial property we leased just to open and it took 3 months to get approval. This is for a business doing $250,000.00 a year in gross and profiting $30,000.00 at most. It cost us forty thousand in personal debt to get to the point of leasing a property and then we had to deal with psychotic town managers who wanted say over everything from water run off to type of flowers planted to color of fencing, parking lot spaces, assigned employee-only spaces, parking level, signage, number of trees, bushes, amount of area containing pine chips, view from the highway of operations behind the building, hours of operation, trash hauling, number of toilets available for the public (in a non public service business), future service offerings allowed, drainage from property, color of parking lot space paint, disabled entrances, display area allotment, contractors approved to do the work by the town, they even made us hire someone to submit architectural drawings they already had on file and landscaping design plans that cost another $1,300.00’s and then gave us a limit on total number of employees we can hire, doesn’t matter what our business does they already know what is best and what we can have.

http://usurykills.blogspot.com olrailbird

Outlaw interest!

The elite have always fed upon the “little guy.” If not for supporting usurious bankers and their many self-centered hirelings, our standard of living would increase ten fold.

As a society, we have ignored the Golden Rule and cheated one another right out of civilization. High interest and poor terms the “little guy” is forced to accept means slow death in any endeavor.

The source of the evildoer’s power is the interest charges on money they print out of thin air. Outlawing interest is the first and most important step to a mathematically perfected economy.

This past year I attempted to open a business having recently completed my MBA after being laidoff as one of many financial professionals in the 2008 banking crisis. It was one of my only options given the job market. (Really, I’d take a headhunter up on moving cross country for a $30K job in a rat-race city? No thanks. Been there, done that.)

A shop was leased. Used furniture purchased. The landlord was informed as to the nature of the business. A corporation had been formed in another state long ago. All forms were being filed but oh… the fees and onerous requirements kept coming. This was well before even full disclosure of the nature of my business (medicinal cannabis bakery tailored to women and elders – anti stoner culture than you) and full opening. How could someone fail in this industry w/ millionaires being created from ‘non-profit’ similar businesses in Kahlifornistan next door right? What else could thrive in these times let alone in alternative health care? The obstacles I encountered in the ‘business friendly’ HA! state of Nevada have been daunting; more fees to local ‘inspectors’ ensuring my exit signs have the proper light bulbs to a yearly tax on all my assets and inventory. Oh yes, and initially I was told only an electrician could change or verify the light bulbs – just can’t make this up…

The last bill for another $375 from the state of Nevada on top of illegal market competition were the final straws. We will not open nor even function off the website – setup out of the country should there be any problems as well. ANY business to function in the middle of this is absolutely insane, regardless of the industry.

And I say this having attempted to operate 1 & 1/2 miles from Nevada’s most famous and profitable brothels…

YOUR ARTICLE IS DEAD ON!!!!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=318515515322 AgreeToDisagree

You can put a stop to ALL this by voting ONLY poor and unnetworked citizens rather than plutocrats or slick corporate types.

Mismanagement, disenfranchisement, racism, selective harassment, government-glc-big business collusion to write bad/unbalanced laws with loopholes that will be used to defraud tax monies, even edge out non-crony citizens.

The nepotism, oligarchy and extreme wealth alone, much less TSA police roadblocks and political attitudes of entitlement, forced conscriptions and limitless terms makes ANYONE and EVERYONE worldwide want to revolt.

The lands and wealth and even psychological space, right to conscience (that they try to foster that poverty does not entitle to) and self expression, of humanity does not belong to a handful of cultists or so called elites colluding with bureaucracy, it belongs to ALL MANKIND.

To start the process of taking back, balancing citizen wealth and power, removing the cancer of nepotistic political dynasties and plutocrats.

doris french

Although it is very easy to open a business in Oklahoma there is one small catch in the county I live in.

Every year they tax your inventory. So if you have inventory that doesn’t sell you get taxed twice on it.

This is a business killing tax. No one wants to keep inventory, so nobody wants to shop here and they all drive to the larger towns.

virginia

We are all being manipulated by big oil, big pharm and wall street. The problems in Washington are because of the corporate cartel. They call the shots and Washington and the American people are being held hostage by these monsters. We continue to call our government a democracy. We are all handcuffed, gagged and bound by corporate America. No small wonder all they do in Washington is fight.

gen

Hey all,

I feel very fortunate to have been born and raised in New York City this is why it hurt me so much to move to New York State. For those of you who don’t understand the five boroughs of NYC are under separate laws and regulations. Don’t get me wrong I have a new outlook on life after moving out of the city and I’m happy to say that it’s a positive one. I love where I live now and I’m so happy that my kids don’t have to dodge cars in the street or hear gunshots and police sirens at night. Despite all these things NYC was my home and where I thought I would raise my family. I was forced to leave due to these tough economic times. My husband and I had just gotten married and had our first child when the recession hit. We both had good jobs and were bringing home a very decent combined income. Shortly after, pregnant with my second child, I was laid off. We moved to a cheaper apartment that my husband was able to afford while I stayed home with our son on unemployment. Unfortunately my husband lost his job too and he was denied unemployment. That was a big blow. I got a part time job but that still wasn’t enough to pay the rent so we were evicted. We ended up in a family shelter after spending a night in a motel, waiting for hours in the housing office and providing proof of just about everything in our lives from A-Z. We once again were denied government shelter for more than two weeks because we were told that we could stay at my mother in law’s house. My mother in law already had someone staying in every tiny room of her house, even the basement. Despite the situation we were ordered to stay with her even after a social worker inspected where we would be expected to stay (the living room floor)to make sure is was a suitable place we could live. Because it is illegal in NYC to rent a one bedroom apartment to a family with more than one child, which is all we could afford we ended up in the shelter. Although the shelter could only be described as a studio apartment. If we had been allowed to rent a one bedroom apartment we would have not ended up in the shelter and ultimately my mother in law’s 5×5 living room floor which all we could fit was our mattress from which we brought up from the basement every night while the kids slept on the couch for 6 months. We have been blessed enough since then to have both gotten full time jobs and a 2 bedroom apartment in the country which we can afford. I have a very long commute to work in the city but I am so grateful because I know there are still people whom are working and homeless or in worse situations and places than my family and I were. It is absolutely disgusting that the mayor of NYC is worth over 16 billion dollars and is one of the 400 most wealthiest in America but because of housing cuts families like mine were denied government assistance at one of the lowest points in our lives. My husband and I have been working and paying taxes in NYC since before we were 18 and we couldn’t even get help when we needed it. Our experience was very eye opening as to the direction this country is headed. I also understand that having been a resident of a state that gets a lot of benefits and funding because there are people whom live there that do matter and God forbid the tourists see the real NYC. I seem to have not had it as bad as some in other states. I can’t imagine now living in a state that has “no value” to the government. My heart really goes out to poor majority in this country, especially the children whom go to sleep hungry and I say sleep and not bed because they may not have one of those either and the men whom join the military in a back-handed attempt to escape Americas abuse of it’s citizens and lack of opportunity, only to die for a country that caused that situation and cares nothing about them. How do “you” politicians “sleep” at night.

pauly

Vote Ron Paul, so you will see he is a fake and nothing can change this train wreck.

Chris

I operate a paving business in North Carolina. The state trying to balance the budget on the backs of truck owners. The Motor Carrier Division of the NC Highway Patrol sits on the roads where they know trucks have to pass by on the way from the asphalt plants and quarrys and stop trucks constantly with no probable cause. Instead of concentrating on criminal activity they are harassing people trying to make an honest living. I know several businesses that have been put out of business because of these guys. I personally have $1800 worth of fines now for insignificant items not related to safety. I have called the governers office numerous times without any calls back. The government is making it almost impossible to stay in business in an already tough economy.

Michael

Great comment Chris. I am sorry that they are putting you through that.

What is happening to this country?

Michael

http://moneycrisisgameplan.com Money Crisis Game Plan

Though I agree that the ‘Little Gu’ is getting Killed in America, one of the main reasons is because of financial mismanagement.

The average American has racked up debts that waste their money on interest charges.

Americans used their home as a cash machine, and refinanced during the housing bubble to cash out their equity. Now that home values have dropped, they have no equity or owe more than the house is worth.

Employees pay the highest tax rates, yet most people don’t have a home business to save money on taxes.

And people invested in financial education to learn how to protect their money, so they get hurt by the stock market and lose their savings.

People need to take action in increase their cashflow, to keep ahead of rising food prices, to eliminate their debts, reduce their taxes, and reduce their dependency on the government.